The history of the bible and religion is indeed the struggle of good vs. evil. Our Serpent’s Stout recognizes the evil of the dark side that we all struggle with.This is a massively thick and opaque beer that begs the saints to join the sinners in their path to a black existence.

Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by Agent1:

Appearance - Incredible. The head and lacing are super thick and look like chocolate mousse. After having a very tasty, yet amazing bottle of Deliverance Ale and being thoroughly disappointed at how awful the appearance was, this makes up for it. I've let this sit in my La Trappe chalice for almost 10 minutes and the head DOES NOT go away. A solid finger's worth of head and it looks super, buttery/ creamy. Like whipped cream. Very, very impressive for a stout.

Taste - Figs, prunes, dates, espresso coffee, plums, candied cherries, tobacco, pudding, roasted (slightly burnt malts), molasses and plenty of baker's chocolate (rich cocoa -- nice and bitter). Quite syrupy, but pleasant. Peppery and dry. A delicious bready yeast flavor that hides underneath of everything. A very dry finish unlike any stour I've had. It really lingers and mimics the taste of chewing on wood chips or rooibos. Tons of wood the more you focus on the aftertaste. Very bitter, but nice and not offensive. This helps to balance out the crazy sugars in this beer. Extremely faint anise/ licorice notes. It may not appear like it, but there seems to be a TON of dark candi sugar used in this recipe (possibly Belgian). The alcohol cuts in a way that I have never tasted before. It adds so much to this beer in a non-offensive way. A very intelligent use of alcohol. That may sound a bit strange....but it really adds a lot of character to all the surrounding flavors. It also is very subtle in the overall mix of complexity given how high it is (11% abv).

Mouthfeel - This is so heavy that it sticks to the roof of the mouth, however, it can be felt all throughout. Very rich and chewy. It coats the entire mouth and quite literally sticks. Like pudding. Impressive.

Overall - As far as stouts are concerned, it really doesn't get much better than this, if at all. I have never had this until now. Always wanted it, but could never find it. This beer does not shit the bed. I am increasingly becoming more and more of a fan of The Lost Abbey. Easily one of the best craft breweries out of the US. Rich, complex and hearty. The kind of beer Vikings would have lapped up before terrorizing a small village. Definitely pick this up if you run into it.

More User Reviews:

Discovered this gem in my cellar while cleaning out some near empty beer boxes. Purchased @ at Julio's Liquors, Westborough Mass on 7/22 for 13.99/bomber. Really, don't ask O.C.D.

As holy as this beer looks on the outside when poured you can see the inside is full of the dark side, almost evil like. When held up to the light I get nothing, just dark matter... A frothy tan curtain covers the top for a minute or two before fading to a thin sheen with bubbles clinging to the sides. Appearance is raw beauty!

The nose is full, rich and roasty. The oak comes in nicely breaking through the dark chocolate barrier revealing even more secrets of licorice, coffee and dare I say the scent of a good cigar, faack.

The taste buds dance over the flavor of dark chocolate, roasted malt, black licorice, burnt sugar and an overlay of vanilla. A very flavorfull example of the style.

Mouthfeel is creamy smooth with a warm feeling of heat quick on it's heels. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy with some bitterness joining the party in the end.

Overall this beer continues to hold my interest. I've been diving into this one for years and feel lucky enough to have stumbled upon one stored properly with a good amount of age. I was surprised to see I hadn't reviewed this in the past but here it is #175...

Substantially malty and chocked full of roasted grain flavor- The Lost Abbey continues to churn out world class beer after world class beer. Imperial Stout: check!

Opening with a deeply hued bark-brown color, the beer is absolutely opaque but not because of haze. In fact, the beer carries an onyx-like sheen; rather the inability for light to pass seems because of the sheer density of roasted malts. An abundance of carbonation fuels a huge froathy tan head and laces with intermitten patterns of foam on the glass. The beer delivers everything that's expected from stouts- at least to the eye.

Strong aromas of roasted grain hinges on burnt scent of grain, but releases just in time for the moderate scent of burnt caramel instead. Malted milk, rummy alcohol, cherry-like esters, and nail polish remover are just a hint of elements that hide beneath the blanket espresso, cocoa powder, walnut, grass and charred woods.

Flavors follow similarly with the bulk of the emphasis on espresso, wood fired malts and woods, bitter cocoa, walnut, slightly scorched toffee, malted milk, and a slight grassy taste that morphs evenly into mild resin bitterness in finish. Strong alcohols are somewhat distracting with the flavor of acetone and rumy sweetness.

Full bodied, but not as insane as many newer Imperial Stouts. Instead Serpent's relies on a firm malty early texture that's lifted by the airy carbonation and high attenuation- the beer seems to lift off of the tongue with ease in comparison to it's fullness. Creaminess subsides at mid palte and ushers in a malty-dry finish of acrid roasted grains, coffee grounds, and mild powdery ash.

Though quite dry and efforvescent, the lack of sweetness here allows the brunt of alcohol and burnt grain to reveal the rougher edges that cause slight difficulty in drinkability although the flavor profile sings praises. Unfortunately, heartburn inducing acids limit this beers ease of enjoyment.

Black as sin. No highlights are seen, in spite of bright afternoon sunshine behind the glass. An incredibly loud pop! on cork extraction was followed by the creation of a massive head of caramel colored foam that has a whipped creamy texture. A generous amount of lace only adds to the magnificence.

The nose is full-to-bursting with a roasted maltiness in which dark chocolate is much more prominent than black coffee. The beer has a freshly baked brownies aroma that is lightly accented with American hops. Increased intensity with warming allows the score to be increased without a second thought.

I am continually amazed at how many different styles The Lost Abbey nails to the wall... with authority. SS is a wonderful ADS that's almost as good as Santa's Little Helper, which is the only other big stout that I've had from this brewery (if Port Brewing counts as 'this brewery').

Serpent's Stout teeters on the edge of greatness in the flavor department. The first few ounces had 4.0 written all over them. After the next few, 4.5 is making a serious case for consideration. It looks like the final call will have to wait until the second half of the 750 ml bottle. I need to finish this review before the beer is gone because the 11.0% ABV is beginning to work its magic with a stealthy efficiency.

Even if it isn't as thunderously black malty and as mind-bogglingly complex as The Abyss, Serpent's Stout means business. Flavors include double chocolate fudge brownies made with generous amounts of coffee, vanilla and blackstrap molasses. A background citrus fruitiness is welcome, even if the alpha acids are fighting a losing battle against the tidal wave of malt sugars. Maybe it's the alcohol talking, but 4.5 is now an easy call.

This is one of those big beers whose mouthfeel improves the more it sits. The reason is slightly too harsh carbonation early on. Now that almost half an hour has passed, the bubbles have calmed considerably and the beer is nougat chewy and borderline thick. Exactly like I like 'em.

My experience is that beer from The Lost Abbey is anywhere from good to great to world-class. Serpent's Stout isn't at the pinnacle, but it's one of the best offerings from one of the best American craft breweries in business today. Bottom line: sinfully delicious and devilishly drinkable. Thanks Tomme. Long may you brew.

A: Black with a small black beige head that quickly settles into a fine ring of lacings.

S: Not overly powerful, but still with a pleasant character of roasted malts and delightful fruity notes. Quite a lot of coffee. Hints of chocolate and vanilla.

T: A somewhat sweet taste with gently roasted malts and coffee to the fore. Fruits are more muted than in the smell. Some tannins. Notes of chocolate. The finish is somewhat bitter with a faint salty note of licorice, and a hint of wood. The alcohol provides a nice warming sensation, but not much to the flavors. All in all, quite tasty and balanced nut not overly powerful or complex.

M: Full bodied with a velvety texture. Mild carbonation seems to fit the laid back character of the beer well.

D: I think I was expecting more from this. Still a good beer, though. It's well composed, but it could use a bigger spectrum or aromas and flavors.

Riding on the whole "original sin" theme, darkness and evil, we are now tempted enough to give this brew a go. Lively carbonation brings a slow foam right out of the bottle, not a gusher but a creeper. Quick to foam though the lace does dissipate into the thin ring. Dark as the darkest night: opaque and sooty. Mild acrid tartness in the nose, sweet chocolate cake in the aroma and flavor. Carbonation is super fine on the palate with a fluffy, full body. Again, chocolate cake and dark chocolate. Sweetness is mild and up front. Ever so faint tartness, but a more prominent woody flavor in the middle. Hint of rich molasses and black currants in the back. Modest hop character, that's fine as the roasted character takes care of keeping the balance. Doesn't taste like an 11 percent beer at all, extremely deceiving even with a slight warmth from the alcohol.

A very delicious bottle-conditioned stout, impressive and drinkable for 11 percent. The more it warms up the better it gets. Malt flavors are really in sync with each other. A must try in our book because it stands out from the rest of the Lost Abbey lineup as being one of their best.

750ml bottle. Pours black with a small light brown head that quickly diminishes to a thin film that leaves a little lacing.

The aroma is fudgy lactic chocolate malts, black licorice and some alcohol.

The flavor is sweet fudgy chocolate malts and molasses with a charred roast, black licorice and some alcohol. The finish is a lot of charred bitterness and alcohol. The mouthfeel is lighter than expected - light to medium bodied with low carbonation and kind of watery.

Overall, starts off promising, but it's just too hot, charred and unbalanced for me to truly like. I remember this beer being a lot more decadently sweet, and liking it a lot more that way.

Typical L.A. bomber, caged and corked, w/o vintage nor freshness info (it would kinda be nice to have this info on beers like this one) Pours black, with a very dark tan head, that leaves moderate slippery lace. Espresso mostly in the nose, with whiffs of mocha and vanilla. Dense, deeply flavorful brew. More espresso, layers of cocoa, mocha and burnt/dark malty goodness. Sweetness is somewhat counterbalanced by some fairly subtle and late to the party hops. All in all a tasty and thoroughly enjoyable dark and muddy creation., Highly recommended.

Pours black with a beige head that retains fairly well and leaves bits of lacing on the glass. Smell is of malted milk balls, earthy hops, light roast and plenty of booze. Taste of light caramel, a touch of coffee, earthy, grassy hops, malted milk balls and fusels. Medium body and higher than medium carbonation. Had this beer a few times and I fail to understand the extremely high ratings. They make other beers I enjoy quite a bit, but this isn't one.

The beer pours dark brown to black with a tan head. The aroma is brown sugar with roasted malt, smoke, dark chocolate and coffee. The flavor is chocolate, oak, vanilla, coffee and roasted malt. The alcohol is very well hidden. Medium-thick mouthfeel and low carbonation. Another very good beer from Lost Abbey/Port Brewing.

tasted a 1 yr old bottle. dark brown and totally opaque. sweet aroma. notes of fruit. sweetness and bitter on the tongue but very thin. i like a stout that i can almost chew. overall, a very good stout.